


Only This Moment

by misura



Category: Eight Days of Luke - Diana Wynne Jones
Genre: F/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-22
Updated: 2010-12-22
Packaged: 2017-10-13 23:27:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/142871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Astrid remembers love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Only This Moment

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PeroxidePirate](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeroxidePirate/gifts).



Theirs was not a whirlwind romance, the way it happened in some of the books Astrid stopped reading after a while (because reading tended to bring on her heads, and Dot would go on _so_ when she saw Astrid reading one of 'silly romances', and then Ronald would start, and really, what need was there?)

She was not unhappy.

At one point, she had thought it a bit bothersome, for Ronald to still be living with his parents - she'd have liked to get a place all for themselves, all their own, but then there came those visits to the hospital and a doctor with kind eyes telling her the bad news.

It hadn't come as a blow, actually; just a surprise. She'd had this vague idea, this vague notion that she would, at some point, have children, and now it turned out that she wouldn't, not ever, and, well, she couldn't say she minded all that much. If she cried a little, it was only because it seemed to be expected of her, or perhaps it was out of relief, at finally _knowing_. It was always better to know.

 _'That settles it then, I guess,'_ Ronald had said, looking mostly annoyed. He'd looked annoyed rather often, these past weeks, complaining about all those visits to the hospital - the insurance would cover most of it, of course, but still.

Dot had been sympathetic when they'd gone back home and Ronald had told her the news. She'd patted Ronald's hand and made some tea - and Astrid had sat there, quietly, relieved to see this proof that Ronald did care, after all; he simply was a bit awkward in showing it.

When she mentioned going to look for a home of their own again after that, Ronald had looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. _'What need to we have for a home for just the two of us? I'm not made of money, you know. What's wrong with living here? It's a great house.'_

 _'No, no, I completely understand,'_ Bernard had said, when Ronald had shared Astrid's 'silly idea' over dinner that evening. _'It must be tiresome to always look after me.'_

Astrid had flushed and Dot had frowned at her in disapproval and that had been that.

 

When she'd met Ronald, he'd been working in administration somewhere; he didn't much like to talk about his work, and since Astrid didn't have a job herself, she thought that was just as well.

They had other things to talk about.

Ronald liked to talk about cricket, for example. Went on and on about it, in fact, if she didn't stop him, but it wasn't at all annoying, the way it had been with Ben. Ben's passion had been soccer. Astrid thought soccer wasn't much of a sport, really, and when Ben talked about it, he sounded like he was talking to himself. Ronald wasn't like that.

For Ronald, cricket was something wonderful. He loved to tell her about the latest game England had won, and why they were going to win their next match as well. He talked to _her_.

He even made an effort to listen sometimes when she talked about things _she_ liked, like dresses or make-up, even though Astrid could tell he wasn't really very interested in them. Given that Ronald would never _wear_ dresses or make-up (while it was not at all impossible for Astrid to listen to a cricket match on the radio and, in fact, it would take a great effort on her part _not_ to do so), this did not seem unreasonable to Astrid. She thought it was rather nice of him he made the effort to appear interested at all. Plenty of people didn't.

 

She hadn't quite loved him at first sight. She'd liked him, though.

When she'd gotten to know him better, she'd liked him even more - and when he'd asked her to marry him, after he'd been there for her after the hospital and everything, she hadn't been able to think of a single good reason to say 'no'.

 _'You're far too good for her,'_ Dot had said over dinner, when Ronald had told his parents, insisting on Astrid showing them the engagement ring he'd gotten her. It was very pretty and it looked very expensive. He'd told her the stones went well with her eyes, and it was this, much more than its value, that had made her happy to put it on her finger.

Not even Dot could put a dent in her good mood that evening, especially when Ronald had turned to his mother to say: _'Nonsense. If anything,_ she's _too good for_ me _,'_ and then he'd smiled and taken Astrid's hand and kissed it. She'd definitely loved him, then.

 _'You're not going to throw some sort of big celebration for the wedding, are you?'_ Bernard had put in next. _'I don't think I could stand that, not at my age.'_

 _'We'll have a nice, cozy, sensible celebration,'_ Ronald had declared. _'Astrid doesn't like much ado, anyway; it only gives her a headache.'_

Astrid had never said such a thing - in fact, she'd rather looked forwards to a big party where she'd have an opportunity to show off her lovely wedding dress. It was obvious Ronald's parents wouldn't at all welcome such a thing though, and Astrid certainly didn't have the money to pay for it all by herself.

 _'Well,'_ Bernard had said, looking very much put upon, _'at least you won't have any children. That would really have been too much. I'm barely hanging on as it is.'_

 _'If this is what you want, then we will, of course, support you,'_ Dot had told Ronald. _'I do hope you realize how lucky you are,'_ she'd added, to Astrid. _'I do hope you are grateful.'_

Astrid had still been able to manage a smile, even though it was a little disheartening to be told how unwelcome she was. _'I am. I am very grateful.'_

She almost meant it at the time.

 

And then there'd been David.

She'd felt like she ought to feel sorry for him, at first - he'd lost his parents, after all. He must be sad.

 _'Such a bother,'_ Dot had said, sighing, when they'd waited for David to arrive at the train station.

Bernard had gone to check on the schedule twice already. _'In this draft, I'm sure to catch my death,'_ he'd said. _'I've been having trouble with my lungs for years.'_

 _'Is there really no one else who can take him in?'_ Ronald had asked. Astrid thought he might be resenting the fact that they would have a kid after all now, except that it wouldn't be theirs.

Everyone ignored Ronald's question. He'd asked it a hundred times already, and the answer was still the same. There was nobody else. They were the only family David had left. They had to take him in.

By the time David's train finally arrived, they'd been waiting for over an hour. Bernard had complained about his lungs at least two dozen times, and Dot's frown had grown a little bit deeper every minute, while Ronald had loudly mourned the cricket match he would now be unable to listen to on the radio.

 _'You are very late,'_ Dot had said to him, sternly, as if it were his own fault - Astrid knew it wasn't, but even she had grown rather cold and tired after the long wait and all she wished for was to be able to sit down again in some place warm as quickly as possible. A cigarette would be lovely, too; she'd been itching for one all afternoon. So, in the end, she hadn't said anything at all.

David hadn't seemed much interested in talking to her, anyway.

 

And then there'd been Luke.


End file.
